THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS by Kathleen Krull

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Krull, Kathleen. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Ill. by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 0375822984

PLOT SUMMARY

Kathleen Krull takes a biographical look at the life of Ted Geisel, the man the world came to know as Dr. Seuss. From the boy growing up on Fairfield Street in Springfield, Massachusetts to Darmouth College and Oxford University in England, Ted Geisel never lost his love of doodling and after selling his first work he started signing subsequent work as Dr. Seuss. The picture book biography ends with Ted moving to New York with a bright future ahead of him. Additional pages complete Ted Geisel’s story “on beyond Fairfield Street.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Krull’s biography provides a look into the life of the real person who is known as Dr. Seuss. The book, while informative, is presented in an easy to read storybook format. The reader is able to get a sense of the boy growing up on Fairfield Street having birthday parties, playing outdoors with his friends, and going to the beach on summer vacations. Hearing stories about the animals in the zoo where his father worked and the nonsense verses invented by his mother helped feed his imagination while he was growing up.

The full page illustrations by Johnson and Fancher help create a visual image of the time period and are a realistic complement to Krull’s words. Illustrations from Seuss’ own work are also included on each page of text, and a reference list of each illustration and the order it appears is presented at the end of the book.

The supplementary section titled “On Beyond Fairfield Street” provides additional historical information about Geisel’s life and career. Krull also includes a bibliography of Dr. Seuss’ books as well as a reference list of books and websites for additional information.

The picture book presentation of biographical information will engage children as they learn about a favorite author. There will be many children who can identify with the boy who “didn’t always fit in” and be encouraged that he found a way to do “what he loved, not what others might want him to do.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS

KIRKUS REVIEW: “The magic of his name will make this a huge hit, but it’s the lively writing that puts the hat on the cat.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This picture-book biography is a winner...Krull’s work is a terrific look at the boyhood of one of the most beloved author/illustrators of the 20th century.”

BOOKLIST: “A delightful picture-book biography about Geisel that chronicles how he became an innovative writer and illustrator beloved by readers young and old.”

CONNECTIONS

Use this title in connection with Read Across America on March 2 to help students understand who Dr. Seuss is.

Books by Dr. Suess:
Suess, Dr. HORTON HEARS A WHO. ISBN 0394800788
Suess, Dr. Oh THE PLACES YOU’LL GO. ISBN 0679847367
Suess, Dr. HORTON HATCHES THE EGG. ISBN 039480077X

Other biographies by Kathleen Krull:
Krull, Kathleen. HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ. ISBN 0152014373
Krull, Kathleen. HOUDINI: WORLD’S GREATEST MYSTERY MAN AND ESCAPE KING. ISBN 0802789536
Krull, Kathleen. WILMA UNLIMITED: HOW WILMA RUDOLF BECAME THE WORLD’S FASTEST WOMAN. ISBN 9780152012670